Since its founding in 1944, the World Bank has evolved from a lender focused on European reconstruction to the preeminent international institution for economic development and poverty reduction.
Jonathan Masters leads writers and editors who produce wide-ranging content for CFR.org, including Backgrounders, visual stories, and events. He also writes on foreign policy and national security and his work has appeared in Foreign Affairs, the Atlantic, and Bloomberg. Masters has a BA in political science from Emory University and an MA in social theory from the New School. He is a term member of CFR and a member of the Overseas Press Club.
Most Recent
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The International Monetary Fund, both criticized and lauded for its efforts to promote financial stability, continues to find itself at the forefront of global economic crisis management.
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NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
The military exercises in and around Norway are a significant test of NATO’s collective defenses at a time of rising geopolitical tensions. -
The United States and other Western countries are reevaluating their foreign investment regulations amid an uptick in Chinese interest in strategic sectors.
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President Trump’s revocation of a former CIA director's security clearance has stirred up a debate about access to government secrets, free speech, and democratic norms.
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If Tesla goes private with significant funding from Saudi Arabia or other foreign investors, it would raise national security and ethical questions.
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NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
NATO is girding up for what some believe is a new Cold War with Russia, but President Trump’s criticism of longtime allies has unsettled the twenty-nine-member bloc. -
With the U.S. national debt already exceeding $15 trillion, President Trump’s tax reform and budget deals with Congress are poised to add massively to the country’s deficits.
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In striking Syria without an international law justification, the United States leaves itself open to criticism and may invite similar behavior by other countries.
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The expulsion of Russian diplomats by more than twenty governments is a remarkable show of unity and a deepening of Moscow’s rift with the West.
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A growing list of brazen foreign operations signals that there are few constraints on Russian intelligence under Vladimir Putin’s leadership.
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Influence Campaigns and Disinformation
Charges of foreign power interference in the U.S. presidential election have raised grave national security concerns and touched off multiple federal inquiries that could drag on for months. -
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High-profile mass shootings in the United States in recent years have rekindled the gun control debate and raised comparisons of policies around the world.
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President Trump has vowed to pass corporate tax reform in 2017, but Congress must still navigate complex negotiations over how to reduce rates and subsidies, as well as whether to tax profits made abroad.
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For many policymakers, economic sanctions have become the tool of choice to respond to major geopolitical challenges, from counterterrorism to conflict resolution.
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The dismissal of FBI Director James Comey raises concerns about the government’s ability to investigate Russian meddling in U.S. elections, and the broader national security role of the agency.
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The dismissal of FBI Director James Comey raises concerns about the government’s ability to investigate Russian meddling in U.S. elections, and the broader national security role of the agency, says CFR’s Matthew Waxman.
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The quadrennial U.S. presidential nominating conventions are usually dominated by domestic themes. But they have at times been flavored by global economic concerns and national security threats, offering competing Democratic and Republican visions about the United States' role in the world.
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The Arctic should be a major consideration in discussions of U.S. national security, says Thad Allen, co-chair of CFR’s Independent Task Force on the Arctic.
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The separation of powers has spawned a great deal of debate over the roles of the president and Congress in foreign affairs, as well as over the limits on their respective authorities, explains this Backgrounder.
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The winner of the presidential election this spring will heavily influence how France approaches foreign and domestic issues, including its future with the European Union.
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See where Donald Trump wants to take U.S. foreign policy